2 And do not be conformed to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may recognize what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.2

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.

4For as we have many members in one body, and all members do not have the same position.3

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and everyone members of one another [in each others hearts].

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that has been given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

And Friends, you that are weak, bless God for the strong; you that have need of a pillar to lean upon, bless God, that has provided pillars in his house; and, in fear and the guidance of his Spirit, make use of these pillars; who are faithful, and have ability from God, in his power and glorious presence with them, to help to sustain his building, even as they had ability from the Lord to gather unto him. He that despises him that is sent, despises Him that sent him; and he that undervalues any gift, office, or work, that God has bestowed upon any person, despises the wisdom and disposal of the Giver. Are all fathers? Have all overcome the enemy? Are all grown up in the life? Are all stars in the firmament of God's power? Has God made all equal? Are there not different states, different degrees, different growths, different places, etc.?

Then, if God has made a difference, and given degrees of life, and gifts different, according to his pleasure; what wisdom and spirit is that, which does not acknowledge this, but would make all equal? Oh my Friends! Fear before the Lord; honor the Lord in his appearances, and in the differences which he has made among the children of men, and among his people. He gave prophets of old, and the rest of the people were not equal with them. He gave evangelists, apostles, pastors, teachers, etc., and the other members of the churches were not equal with them. He has given fathers and elders now, and the babes and young men are not equal with them. Thus it is, in truth, from the Lord; and what is of God in you, will so acknowledge it.

Therefore watch, everyone, to feel and know his own place and service in the body, and to be sensible of the gifts, places, and services of others; that the Lord may be honored in all, and everyone owned and honored in the Lord, and not otherwise.

William Caton, a young Quaker minister, was lamenting over his small stature in Christ, compared to some senior Quaker worthies he had observed, when the Lord gave him this classic understanding:

The Lord showed me how they that had much, had nothing left over; and they that had little, had no lack — just like it was with the Israelites of old. For the brethren who were wise and eminent, who had received much from the Lord, notice there was that much more required of them; so that of all they had, they had nothing over, but what they were to employ in the work and service of God.

One of the principle reasons the Quaker faith deteriorated into apostasy was because the later members assumed they were just as enlightened as George Fox, Edward Burrough, Francis Howgill, George Whitehead, William Penn, Margaret Fox, etc.; and because they had different opinions than their early founders, they assumed their founders were wrong and they were right. They believed in their equality with those who had entered the kingdom of God and who were heavenly dignities; they assumed their talk about the kingdom was just a figure of speech or that the founders were deluded.

It is the flesh that is ambitious; the Spirit is humble. So, what should be your desire when you become a member of the body of Christ? To be all you can be, for Him; but to trust Him to know exactly what position is best for you, whether great or small. The Word of the Lord within said to me: "Imagine a place where everyone runs the race to their utmost ability, but desiring to come in last;" if you are curious what that means, see the footnote to 1 Cor 9:24.

4Praying always — but in the spirit. Prayers from your carnal mind are an abomination to God. Prayers from the Spirit, are prayers with words supplied by the Spirit of God within you.

I shall instance only in prayer. "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." Eph 6:18. Mark all prayer and supplication must be in the Spirit; yes, it must be always in the Spirit, which speaks in the heart to God, and makes the intercession, or it is no prayer. If a man speaks ever so much from his own spirit, with ever so much earnestness and affection, yet it is no prayer, no true prayer, but only so far as the Spirit moves to it, and so far as the Spirit leads and guides in it. If a man begins without the Spirit, or goes on without the Spirit, this is out of the worship; this is in his own will, and so will-worship; and according to his own understanding, and so fleshly worship; both which are to be crucified, and not to be followed in anything under the gospel.

As William Penn has said: "When your neighbor wrongs you, do not resent him; rather have pity for his lack of wisdom and understanding that would prevent his wrongful acts. We should make more haste to do right to our neighbor, than we do to wrong him; and instead of being revengeful, we should leave him to be judge of his own satisfaction or dissatisfaction with his unjust acts."